Being too busy on bass is being James Jamerson. Not everyone is a Colin Greenwood.
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I 'learned' to play bass by learning Rush songs (WAY back in the day)... had the habit, for many years, of trying to fill-in as Geddy does... many songs don't require so much... so I've learned to listen carefully to the melodic intent of a song - let the notes flow accordingly! (hope that makes sense) AND I've learned to listen to input from others... they aren't always wrong. 
A good but not diplomatic comment.
No wonder, often live music sucks or is not up to par with the original source.
I like self-discipline.
A very good and diplomatic comment!
I've listened to your songs too...
A valuable but not Diplomatic comment.
An extremely Diplomatic comment!
From what I've heard, the OP is NOT a Novice.
I would say, the OP has been playing the bass for Minimum 3 plus years.
What's more, the OP's bass-lines clearly indicate that the OP is very self-confident.
Probably, the most (in my humble opinion drool) practical advice.
All (!) members of the band could benefit from the metronome(!!!). You cannot be tight if you have too many timing/micro-timing exceptions, "muddy" spots, etc...
P.S. I completely understand that the OP's band is just for fun; therefore, my comment is NOT related to the "just-for-fun" bands.
In short.
1. All musicians - (a) individually and (b) as a band - MUST "pass muster" of playing with the Metronome!
2. It's a "grooving" business; therefore, (in my opinion
) each and every bar/measure should groove UNLESS, otherwise advised, and each line - the bass, rhythm guitar, drums, etc... - must pass that test.3. Start with finding that "solid" grooving foundation - 1 or 2, or 4 bar rhythmic pattern and acquire that sense of "tight" band groove/"feel", and go from there. Make sure that all bars, all fills, runs, etc... comply with that acquired band's/song's "feel"/groove, UNLESS, otherwise advised!
P.S. Remember the song's form/structure, which means, I would not recommend changing a rhythmic pattern (for the bass/drums/rhythm guitar/etc...) in the middle of "section" UNLESS, otherwise advised (as some ZEST, and I like it).
I liked your lines and found no reason to complain. I am guessing that some will agree and others won't. This is to say, its personal preference. I have always believed that a bass player should find the pocket of the song. Stepping out to solo or add variety at key moments, but not every measure. I felt like you were in that zone. Other's may disagree. If the guitarist is looking for a more country 2 count root fifth feel, then every reggae line will likely make him feel this way. It is a case of "can't we all just get along." Still, I liked your tone and the bands sound.
I agree with WUTP, and should have added that your drummer has to learn to play to a click. It will make a dramatic difference in your recordings.
OP - in the clip of "Carolyn" that you posted, the guitarist is rushing throughout the tune. In my opinion, the song would sound better if he used a dryer tone with less reverb and a little less drive on the reggae-sounding verses.
The whole band is playing on the front of the beat a little too much for the song, IMO. You in particular could capture a much more effective reggae feel if you sit back just a bit. The drummer has to be complicit, understand what you are doing, and not follow you and allow the tempo to drag. Listen to Juan Nelson on "With My Own Two Hands" by Ben Harper to see what I mean. If you did that, I suspect your lines would no longer sound as busy.
I went to this much critical detail because the song sounded a lot better than I expected it to, and I can tell you are ready for the input. Great job.
The whole band is playing on the front of the beat a little too much for the song, IMO. You in particular could capture a much more effective reggae feel if you sit back just a bit. The drummer has to be complicit, understand what you are doing, and not follow you and allow the tempo to drag. Listen to Juan Nelson on "With My Own Two Hands" by Ben Harper to see what I mean. If you did that, I suspect your lines would no longer sound as busy.
I went to this much critical detail because the song sounded a lot better than I expected it to, and I can tell you are ready for the input. Great job.
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Maybe a bit OT. Apologies in advance.
I think quite a lot about the tension between serving the song and creating interest with my bass lines. My intent is to always serve the song above all else, but sometimes the arrangement is so stark (and not in a good way) that I sort of feel compelled to do more than I normally would do. I have mixed results with that.
One practical example is the acoustic guitar/bass duo. I recently auditioned for one of these situations. I dug the music (the artist had released two CDs, which were very good). I learned the songs off of the CDs, which featured full band arrangements. The whole time I'm thinking, "This may not work when I get there." Sure enough, the songs live lacked any sort of forward motion unless I modified my lines to provide it. I ended up playing busier than I really wanted to, but something had to be done.
Now I think if the guitarist had been a bit better (she was a pretty average guitarist, wacka wacka chord strumming, that's it), or had a better sense of rhythm, we could have shared responsibility for the forward motion thing. But I could tell that wasn't gonna happen, so I did what I thought sounded best for the situation. But it's not necessarily some of my best work.
I think quite a lot about the tension between serving the song and creating interest with my bass lines. My intent is to always serve the song above all else, but sometimes the arrangement is so stark (and not in a good way) that I sort of feel compelled to do more than I normally would do. I have mixed results with that.
One practical example is the acoustic guitar/bass duo. I recently auditioned for one of these situations. I dug the music (the artist had released two CDs, which were very good). I learned the songs off of the CDs, which featured full band arrangements. The whole time I'm thinking, "This may not work when I get there." Sure enough, the songs live lacked any sort of forward motion unless I modified my lines to provide it. I ended up playing busier than I really wanted to, but something had to be done.
Now I think if the guitarist had been a bit better (she was a pretty average guitarist, wacka wacka chord strumming, that's it), or had a better sense of rhythm, we could have shared responsibility for the forward motion thing. But I could tell that wasn't gonna happen, so I did what I thought sounded best for the situation. But it's not necessarily some of my best work.
Part of what made Jamerson great was his ability to be "busy" without being "too busy".
Im late in here but I did listen to the tunes. I like them and I like your bass tastes. JimmyM and "Whousedtoplay" thoughts are right on the mark. I think the guitarists playing stands out more to me as "busy" (or sloppy) than the bass. There is room to improve band tightness all around and that might mean a bit more grunt work and minor extractions on both sets of strings. Nice work, not to shabby for "shed" tapes.
PS good on ya for accepting criticism.
PS good on ya for accepting criticism.
1. All musicians - (a) individually and (b) as a band - MUST "pass muster" of playing with the Metronome!
Dont let Jeff Berlin hear you saying that.
Question:
Who is Colin Greenwood.
Answer:
... and listen to Colin Greenwood and think why "Not everyone is a Colin Greenwood."
Dont let Jeff Berlin hear you saying that.
I listen (or) I've listened to Jeff Berlin on some OTHER
confused: 
) musical questions. Questions on "Groove" do not included.
Part of what made Jamerson great was his
ability to be "busy" without being "too busy".
That's one of the highest level of achievement in Music (overall.)
It's definitely an art and not an easy one to master!That's one of the highest level of achievement in Music (overall.)
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